Bascule bridge and equipment



Filed July 10, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR [5/1009 Zoe/1v Lu nn/m8.004m ATTORNEY March 1, 1938. l. LUBIN BASCULE BRIDGE AND EQUIPMENT FiledJuly 10, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet wan/1m 5. ATTORNEY 1. LUBIN 2,109,797BASCULE BRIDGE AND EQUIPMENT Filed July 10, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 March1, 1938.

Patented Mar. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to bridges, particularly of the bascule or leaflever type, together with their approaches and equipments.

The several objects sought to attain include means to obtain, andpositively maintain, a level roadway at the junction of the leaves whenin lowered position; means to cushion the leaves at the extremities oftheir movements avoiding noise, shock, jolting and jarring; an auxiliarycounter-balancing device movable into different positions as may berequired and the interposition of spring buifers to counteract movementof the leaves when they are being moved into either of their extremepositions. Further features are, in the provision of automaticnavigation light signals at the meeting ends of the leaves, visible toall traflic therebelow, as roadway or waterway, changing in accordancewith their position; automatic barrier gates at the entrance of thebridge controlling tramc thereover; side walks raised above the flooringof the bridge to allow for the ready disposal of rainwater, snow, lightdirt, etc., and to reduce wind resistance when the leaves are in theair; side walks and bulkheads composed of readily removable,interchangeable elements requiring no individual fastening means;indirect lighting means for the bridge carried in hand rails and curbs;center apron plates combined with jolt and 30 jar proof shear-locks thatallow either leaf to open or close independently and also provide forexpansion and contraction of the leaves.

These and other important improvements in bridges, as will hereafterappear, are accom- 35 plished by the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, constituting an essential component of thisdisclosure, and in which:-

40 Figure 1 is a partial plan and sectional view of Figure 7 is a sideelevational and sectional view 55-v of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of Fig. 2 showing theeccentric adjusting device of the bridge seated on its supportingcolumn.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the automatic lightsignal system. 5 Figure 10 is a fragmentary side view of the shear-locksat their engaging ends, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary elevation of a bridge bulkhead, shown insection in Fig. 3. 10 Referring in greater detail to the drawings, thestructure will be seen to consist of two main operating parts,substantially alike and arranged in contra-relation, each being pivotedto turn into horizontal and essentially-upright positions 15 as may berequired to accommodate traffic conditions.

One of these lever-like bridge leaves only will be described, as it willbe understood that the other is intrinsically a duplicate.

Set in piers upon a solid foundation, at the sides of the water orroadway to be spanned, are main support columns 25, while spacedtherefrom, nearer the edge of the stream or underpass, arelive-load-bearing columns to sustain a 25 large proportion of the bridgeweight and its load when in closed position, and spaced further apart,on the opposite, land side are still other columns 27 carrying thebridge approaches.

Mounted on the columns 25 are bearings 28 to receive trunnions 29 onwhich are seated gudgeons 30 firmly fixed to the main leaf girders 3| ofthe bridge, these elements being reduced in cross sectional depthtowards their meeting front ends and increased at their opposite roadap- 5 proach or tail ends 32, all presenting level horizontal uppersurfaces. I

A series of transverse beams 33 extend across between the girders 3| tocarry the bridge flooring 35, whichis also supported, together with thesuperstructure, by other heavier beams 34 alternating therewith, whileat points on the'approach sides 32 of the girders are a pair of spacedtransverse beams 36 to support a rigid pendant counter-weight frameconsisting of pockets 31 provided'with weights 38 in a manner to permitof addition or removal to properly balance the overhang of the girders.

The foregoing is generally descriptive of a conventional type of basculeor balance bridge and is given in order that the improvements may bereadily understood. 7

Rigidly attached to the lower portions of the terminal outer ends of thegirders 32 are brackets it-4| having between them tailend bumpers 42-43,their upper and lower faces extending outwardly beyond the upperbrackets 40 and adapted to contact the heads of the cushion buffers 44movable up and down in bearings 45 fixed on the main approach girders 48and pressed downwardly by springs 46 surrounding the buffer rods withinthe bearings.

These spring buffer rods are threaded and provided with adjusting locknuts bearing against washers at the ends of the: springs; the buffersare disposed below the forward ends of the girders 48, supporting thepermanent roadway at the bridge approaches and serve to adjustablycushion the descent of the main leaf girders 3| into closing position;it is to be noted that the buffer rods project through guides in thebearings to act as positive stops when the leaf girders are in fullyclosed position, the movement of the leaf girders being furthercontrolled by brakes, not shown.

Co-operative therewith are similar bearings 50 attached to the sides ofthe leaf girders 3| and carrying buffers .51, pressed downwardly bysprings 52, coiled around the buffer rods within the bearings, andadjustable by nuts 53.

These buffers make contact with the upper surfaces of support bearings55 mounted on transverse beams 56 extending over and between thelive-load-bearing columns.

The pairs of bearings 55 have revolubly mounted in them short shafts 51,their central portions being cranked or offset to provide eccentrics 58,or may be supplied with cams, and are turnable by wrenches applied totheir squared end projections 59. The live-loadbearing shafts fit inbearings that have set-screws 59 in them, so that the shafts may be heldin a firm position after adjustment is made.

Resting on the upper surface of the eccentrics 58 are concavely facedblocks or live-load-bearings 6B fixed on the under sides of the maintrunnion girders 3|, and, as will be evident the ultimate weight of themain trunnion girders, and proportion of the bridge load, is supportedon the shaft eccentrics in a manner to permit of up or down adjustments;furthermore, the descent of the leaves or main trunnion girders iscushioned at two points of contact on closing, the same being thebumpers at the tail ends of the leaves and at the live-load-bearingrests.

When the bridge is raised, the bumpers 43 make contact with springbuffers 62 having buffer-rods slidable in bearings 63 adjustably mountedin flanged elements 64 secured between the adjacent faces of the supportcolumns 25-26. This bearing also acts as a final travel stop when theleaves are in a full open position.

These buffer rods are normally pressed outwardly by encircling springs66 and their ultimate movement is controlled by adjustable nuts 61 Thusthe action of the bridge is limited and cushioned by spring actuatedbuffers at the limits of its movement in both directions.

At the meeting front ends of the leaf girders, both are provided with aseries of bars 10 mounted to move lengthwise between a plurality ofrollers H arranged in upper and lower rows at the ends of the girders,the bars having at their rear ends studs 12 movable through openings inthe beams 34 in the floor supporting series, the studs preventing theapron plates from coming off when the bridge is in an open position.

Springs 15 coiled around the studs 72 press the bars 10 outwardly to thelimit of adjusting nuts 16, these elements being below the plane of theflooring 35.

The springs 75, which bear at their inner, rear ends against the beam34, press the shear-locks and apron plates outwardly, being compressed,when the bridge is closed, due to the shear-locks and center apronplates touching each other; in this closed position there is a spacebetween the beam 34 and studs which allow for contraction and expansionof the bridge elements due to extremes in temperature.

The apron plates and associated elements lap over the roadway,sidewalks, curbs and hand railings sufi'iciently to avoid any open spaceat these points, being snugly closed.

The shear-locks comprise the following construction.

One of the bar series carries a raised transverse beam 71 having anangular outstanding central face in which are rotatably mounted rolls 78on the male end of both shear-locks, the same being engageable in acorresponding female lock consisting of an angular longitudinal groove79 in the face of a mating beam 80 on the other main girder.

It is to be noted that the rolls render the device substantiallyfrictionless when the ends of the main girders are'brought into contactor when closing or opening, and that all shock and jar is ellminated,due to the resiliency of their supports, and form a firm joint when inengagement.

Disposed over shear-locks ll-86. are center apron plates 82 havingmeeting edges to cover any gap that might otherwise occur; these platesare carried by transverse beams 83 which in turn are supported by bars10.

Carried on the front ends of both sets of main girders 3|, at theirouter sides, are discs 85.

mounted to freely rotate in lantern housings 86, removably engaged onthe bridge, and provided with colored lights, as red and green, 87-88,the former showing red through the disc when the bridge is open fortraffic thereover and showing green when the bridge is raised, thusautomatically presenting visible warning or safety signals to trafiicunder the bridge.

Springs 89, at the lower peripheral edges of the navigation lights thusformed act as shock absorbers to prolong the life of the lights, aselectric bulbs.

The discs are provided with weights 85' at their lower edges, whichcause the lenses to pass the openings in the lantern housings 86, to actby gravity as the bridge is opened and closed.

The lantern housings are carried by tongue and groove connectionsattached to the outermost sidewalk main posts; only one bulb isnecessary in each housing as the gravity actuated, lens carrying discsautomatically display proper signals as the bridge is raised andlowered.

A flexible connection may be used to raise and lower the navigationlights when making bulb replacements.

At about midway of each of the short beams 93, channel irons arearranged in spaced paired relation supported by the beams 34, andslidable on the beams 93 is an auxiliary counterweight 94 movablelengthwise of the bridge by a screw 95 that may be actuated by a handwheel 96 or equivalent device, thus shifting the auxiliary weight inaccordance with requirements; obviously power means may be employed ifpreferred.

The counterweight 94, under ordinary conditions, is positioned inapproximately the center of length of the leaf to evenly balance it. 7

In case of failure of power actuating mechanism, the bridge can beopened by moving the weight towards the tail end of the structure and,conversely, the bridge may be closed by moving the weight towards thefront.

Carried by the upper portions of the main trunnion girders iii are webbrackets I50 raised considerably above the flooring 35 and having ontheir outer surfaces a. plurality of sidewalk main posts IOI, betweenwhich are hollow hand-rails I02, their inner proximate surfaces I03being inclined outwardly and downwardly from the top and provided withopenings I04 through which indirect light may issue from lamps I09enclosed in the rails. The bottom part of handrailing bar or channel hasample clearance above the sidewalk planking to allow for snow removalfrom the sidewalk. Indirect lighting does away with heavy lampposts andmakes replacement of bulbs easy.

Thus the light is directed to part of the roadway and to the sidewalkfloor I05, composed of slats retained at their outer ends in channelsI06 and at their inner ends held by angle eiements I01, secured to theupper flanges of the girders 3!.

Due to this arrangement the floors of the sidewalks are readilyremovable for replacement or repairs at any time, as planks are easilytaken out or put into position by removing sectional angle elements atcurbing; the slats are reversible and can be made of wood, rubber,aluminum, etc.

Another series of lamps I09 are carried by the girders 3| at the curbsto thoroughly illuminate the bridge floor 35, the adjacent side edges ofwhich are spaced as at IIO from the girders, below the sidewalks, inorder to facilitate the disposal of light dirt, rainwater and snow; theopen work also reduces wind resistance when the leaves are in openposition.

The bridge bulkheads II5, made of heavy reversible planks, are similarlyset at their bottom ends in channels H6 and held in place at their upperends by bars II'I, these bulkheads being arranged closely against thelower portions of the columns 26, and are thus readily removable,similar to the sidewalk tread elements.

The planks are held in position by retainers at the top and bottom ofthe fender. The retainer has spacers that fit between adjacent planksthat are cut out to the same size as the spacers. The middle plank isstraight and is always put in place last and taken out first. Theretainer may be held in position by a screw or bolt that goes throughthe spacer into the supporting member of the bulkhead.

In this construction there are three planks in every section. Thusplanking repairs and replacements are easily made; the sidewalks mayalso be made in this way.

The traffic control gates I20 are disposed on the roadway approachadjacent the tail ends of the leaves, the same consisting of bracketsI2I, fixed on the outer sides of the bridge approach girders, andsupporting posts I22, pivotally carrying frames I23, having in theirouter end portions I24 adjustable counterweights I25 slidable on rodsI26 and held in adjustment by hand screws I21.

The inner end portions I28 of the frames carry hollow extensionsconstituting the gates I20 and have heads I29 at their extremities inwhich are slidable stems I30 normally projected outwardly by'springsI3I.

Carried by the stems are male and female locks I32-I33,in the former ofwhich is mounted a roll I34 adapted to engage in grooves I35 formed inthe female lock of the opposed elements.

The posts I22 have fixed on their inner sides brackets I48 against whichbolts I49, slidable in the frame elements I28, make contact when thegates are down, or in operative position, the bolts being pressed'bysprings I! held in adjustment by nuts I52.

The gates are pivoted horizontally on shafts I55 passing through lateralextensions of the posts I22, and fixed on the shafts are worm gears I56,actuated by Worms on vertical shafts I58 driven by a bevel gear trainI59 which may be actuated by a motor, or by hand, and if by motor,conductors I60 are extended to the incoming traflic side of the bridgeso as to cause equal and simultaneous action of the gate pairs.

A signal system I62 is carried by the posts, and the gates are providedwith a series of. foldable slats I65, the lower of which reaches nearlyto the roadway and sidewalks. I

The gates are operated from inside of the incoming approaches, and/or byremote control from an operating house. a red traffic lightautomatically appears at a point above the horizontal shaft. At thecenter of the gate rods, over the roadway, are red lights thatautomatically go on when the gates are closed to traffic; the center ofthe gates is also provided with stop signs on the trellis that arevisible during the daylight.

Each gate is equipped with a key and hand crank for operating in anemergency, should power fail. The gates are also connected with trafficlights to a considerable distance away to give trafiic an opportunity tostop before approaching the bridge too close when open.

While certain preferred embodiments of this device have been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that changes in the form, arrangements,proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made Without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, columns on which saidleaves are pivoted, road end approach columns spaced therefrom, andoppositely spaced bulkhead columns, spring buffers fixed on theproximate sides of said approach and bulkhead columns at substantiallyequal radial distances from the axes of the leaf pivots, and doubleended bumpers carried at the When the gates close,

tail ends of said leaves to contact said buffers respectively when theleaves are at the extremities of their pivotal movements.

2. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, columns on which saidleaves are pivoted, and bulkhead columns spaced therefrom, bearingssupported by said bulkhead columns, eccentric shafts rotatable therein,means to turn said shafts, set screws to clamp the shafts when saideccentrics are in adjustment, journals interposed between saideccentrics and said leaves and spring buffers carried by said leaves tocushion the action of said'journals.

3. In abascule bridge having opposed leaves, columns on which saidleaves are pivoted, and bulkhead columns spaced therefrom, heightadjustable support means intermediate said bulkhead columns and leaves,spring buffers carried by said leaves to cushion the contact of saidleaves and said height adjustable support means and means for adjustingthe resiliency of said buffers.

4. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, columns on which saidleavesare pivoted, road end approach columns spaced therefrom, andoppositely spaced bulkhead columns, spring bufiers fixed on theproximate sides of said approach and bulkhead columns at substantiallyequal radial distances from the axes of the leaf pivots, other springbuffers on said leaves to contact said bulkhead columns, and bumpers atthe tail ends of said leaves to contact the first named buffers whensaid leaves are raised and lowered into extreme positions.

5. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, transverse beams at themeeting extremities of said leaves, one of said beams presenting anangular face and the other having a reciprocal groove, longitudinal barsslidable in said leaves supporting said beams, means to resilientlypress said bars into engagement when said leaves are lowered into levelpositions, and apron plates automatically movable to cover the jointbetween said beams.

6. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, a plurality of guide rollsarranged in upper and lower rows adjacent the meeting ends of saidleaves longitudinally thereof, bars movable between the rows of rolls,springs urging said bars outwardly, means limiting the movement of saidbars, a beam having a grooved face carried by the bars of one of saidleaves, a second beam carried by the bars of the other leaf, and aseries of rolls mounted in said second beam, said rolls adapted toengage in the grooved beam when said leaves are in lowered position.

7. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, and spring pressed angulartenon and groove connections at the meeting ends of said leaves tointerlock when said leaves are in the same level plane.

8. In a bascule bridge having opposed leaves, groove and rollconnections at the abutting ends of said leaves, beams slidablelongitudinally in said leaves and carrying said connections, and springsassociated with said beams to urge said connections into engagement whensaid leaves are level.

9. In a bascule bridge having opposed pivotally supported leaves andcounter-Weights therefor, trackways carried by said leaves in a planeparallel and below their upper surfaces, auxiliary counterweightsslidable on said trackways, and positive means to shift said auxiliaryWeights along said trackways.

10. In a bascule bridge having opposed pivotally supported leaves andcounter-weights therefor, auxiliary counterweights slidably supported bysaid leaves, screws to actuate the auxiliary weights, and remote manualmeans to rotate said screws to adjust the auxiliary weights.

ISADOR LUBIN.

